Combined spring and snubber for railway car trucks



G. E. DATH Aug. 14, 1951 COMBINED v*SPRINGl AND s NUBBR FOR RAILWAY CAR TRUCKS Filed Nov. 24, 1948' Aug. 14, 1951 G. E. DATH 2,563,924 COMBINED SPRING AND' SNUBBER FORl RAILWAY'CAR TRUCKS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .25u/e2? eor v627.110l u J? (j Patented Aug. 14, 1951 GFFICE COMBINED SPRING AND SNUBBERFOR RAILWAY CAR TRUCKS George E. Dath, Mokena, Ill., assignor to W. H.

Miner, Inc., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Dela- Wavre Application November 24, 1948, Serial No. 61,818

7 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in snubbers for railway car trucks comprising bolster supporting spring means having frictional engagement with the truck side frame.

The main object of this invention is to provide supporting spring means for railway car trucks wherein the spring means has projecting tangs which embrace a portion of the side frame of the truck to frictionally snub the action of the usual truck spring cluster.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide spring means of the character set forth in the preceding paragraph which is in the form of a helically coiled spring member having the tangs at the top and bottom ends thereof embracing the bolster guides of the truck side frame at opposite sides and held in frictional contact with the same by the action of the spring which is under torsional tension.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from the description and claims hereinafter following.

In the accompanyingdrawings forming a part of this specication, Figure 1 is a, transverse, horizontal sectionalview through a portion of the side frame member of a railway car truck, illustratingmy improvements in connection therewith, the section being taken on the line` I-I of Figure 2. Figure 2 is a front elevational View of Figure l. Figure 3 is a front elevational View, on an enlarged scale, of the combined spring and snubber shown atthe right hand side of Figure l.

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of Figure 3, v

looking from right to left in said Figure 3.V Figure 5 is a top plan view of Figure 4, showing the condition of the combined spring and snubber before being assembled with the spring cluster and side frame of the railway car truck. vFigure 6 is alhorizontal sectional View through the right hand truck bolster guide of the truck side frame, shown in Figure 2, illustrating in dotted lines the combined spring and snubber in its applied condition.

In said drawings, IIJ indicates one of the side frame members of a railway car truck. The side frame I0, as shown, is in the form of a casting `and has top and bottom members I I and I2 connecetd by vertically7 disposed sections I3I3. As will be understood by those skilled in this art, the truck includes tworside frame members I-I0, a truck bolster Ill, and truck springs I-I5 at opposite ends of the bolster. The springs I 5-I5 are supported on the bottom members I.2I2 of the side frames lli-Iii, and the opposite ends of the bolster Il are guided between the sections I3-I3 and I3-I3 of the truck side frames. The sections I3-I3 thus provide guide columns at opposite sides of the bolster on which the latter has vertical slidingl movement. The usual top and bottom spring follower plates, IIi-I E are disposed at the top and bottom of each spring cluster, the same respectively abutting the bolster Ill and the bottom member I2 of 'the corresponding side frame. The springs Ill-I5 yieldingly support the bolster I4, which, in turn, supports the car body by means of the usual body bolster, not shown.

My improved combined spring and snubber, which is indicated by I'I, is combined with the spring cluster of the railway car truck. As shown in Figures l and 2, two such combined spring and snubber units Il--I'I are preferably employed in connection with each cluster of truck springs I5, the same being substituted for the usual coil springs employed at the right and left hand ends of the cluster, centrally of the side frame.

My improved combined spring and snubber, as shown in the drawings, comprises broadly a coiled helical spring A having extended tangs Band C at its top and bottom ends, embracing the guide column I3 at the corresponding side of the side frame at opposite sides, and a friction shoe D carried by the top tang B and cooperating with the guide column.

In carrying out my invention, the two column members I3-I3 of each side frame, by which the bolster I4 is guided, are preferably provided with depressed guideways on corresponding sides thereof, as indicated byl I8-I 8, in which the friction blocks are accommodated for sliding movement.

The spring A of the combined spring and snubber unit I'I is in the form of a helical'coil interposed between' the follower plates Iii-IS ofthe spring cluster of the railway car truck; The spring A has the tangs B and C .at the top and bottom ends thereof elongated to embrace the corresponding guide column I3 of the side frame IIJ at the opposite sides, the lower tang C bearing on the outer side of said column.

The friction-shoe D is in the form of a dat block secured to the extended portion of the top tang B o'f the spring. The shoe D is provided with a seat I9 in the form of a transverse, horizontal groove on its outer side, accommodating the eX- tended portion of the tang B, and within which the tang is welded, as indicated at 20. The block or shoe D is slidable in the guideway I8 of the column I3 and has a dat friction surface 2| on its inner side, which has sliding irictional engagement with the corresponding side of the column I3.

In its applied condition, the spring A is under torsional tension, thus pressing the lower tang C and the friction shoe D into tight frictional contact with the bolster column I3.

As shown in VFigure 5, the spring A, as manufactured, is coiled so that the tangs thereof lie in outwardly converging, vertical planes, whereby, in the normal condition of the spring, before i application to the truck, the lateral distance bctween the inner side of the friction shoe D and the inner side of the bottom tang C is less than the transverse thickness of the corresponding column l?, of the truck side frame. It will thus be evident that the tangs B and C of the spring A are spread apart when applied to the column i3, thus slightly unwinding the spring and placing the same under torsional tension to press the tang C and the shoe D against the column I3.

The operation of the improved combined spring and snubber is as follows: Upon the spring-cluster of a railway car truck being compressed between the top and bottom spring plates of the cluster by displacement of the bolster !.4 toward the bottom member l2 of the truck side frame, my combined spring and snubber, which is interposed between the follower plates, is compressed therewith, As the coil spring A of each unit is compressed, the upper tang B is forced downwardly toward the bottoni tang C, sliding the friction shoe D downwardly on the column I3 to provide the desired frictional resistance to snub the action of the truck springs. As the spring follower plates Iii-I6 are separated vertically during recoil of the truck springs and during recoil of the spring A, the friction shoe D of the top tang B of the spring moves upwardly on the column I3, thus snubbing the recoil action of the spring.

I claim:

1. In a combined spring and snubber for a railway car truck including a vertical guide vcolumn for the truck bolster, the combination with a vertically disposed, helically coiled bolster supporting spring member adjacent said column, said spring being under torsional tension; of top and bottom tangs on said spring member projecting laterally outwardly therefrom and embracing said guide lcolumn at opposite sides, Asaid top tang having means rigid `therewith in frictional sliding engagement with the vertical guide column.

2. In a combined spring and snubber for a railway car truck including a vertical guide column for the truck: bolster, said column having lengthwise 'extending surfaces at opposite sides thereof, the combination with a vertically disposed, helically coiled spring under torsional tension supporting said bolster, said spring being adjacent said column: of a friction shoe slidable on the surface at one side of said guide column; and tangs at the opposite ends of said spring respectively in lateral bearing engagement with the opposite side of said guide column and said shoe to vpress the latter against said column.

S. In a combined spring and snubber for a railway car truck including a vertical guide column for the vtruck bolster-,the combination with a vertically disposed, helically coiled spring supporting said bolster, said spring being Aarranged adjacent said column; of extended top and bottom tangs on said spring embracing the guide column at opposite sides, said tangs being spread apart to accommodate said column, thereby placing said spring under winding tension to press the tangs against said column, one of said tangs having means rigid therewith in frictional sliding engagement with said column.

4. In a combined spring and snubber for a railway car truck including a vertical guide column for1 the truck bolster, the combination with a helically coiled spring supporting said bolster, said spring being disposed in vertical position adjacent said column; of a friction shoe vertically slidable on said guide column; and tangs at the top and bottom ends of said spring, said bottom tang .bearing on one side of said column, and said top tang carrying the shoe and pressing the same against the opposite side of said column.

5. In a combined spring and snubber for a railway car truck including the usual truck bolster and truck springs, the combination with a friction column'on said truck having a verticallyrextending friction surface on one side thereof; of Ya helically coiled vertically disposed spring adjacent said column, said spring supporting the truck bolster, said spring Yhaving laterally extended tangs at the topand bottom thereof; and a friction element movable with said top tang and engaging the friction surface of said column, said tang pressing the element against said column, said spring having the bottom tang thereof bearing on the side of said column opposite to the friction surface side thereof.

6. In a combined spring and snubber for a railway car truck having a side frame member provided with the usual bolster guide column, the combination with a coiled spring `adapted to be interposed between the truck vbolster anda fixed support on said side frame, said spring having laterally extended .top and bottom tangs extending into embracing relation with the guide column of the side frame of the truck at .opposite sides of said column, said bottom tang bearing on one side of said column; of a friction shoe bearing on the opposite side of .said column, said shoe being xedly secured .to the .inner side of said top tang and being pressedv against said last named side of the column by said spring.

7. Ina combined spring and vsnubber for a railway car truck, the combination with a friction column member on said truck; of a vertically disposed coil spring adjacent said column member, said spring being adapted to be Vsubstituted for one of the coils of the usual spring cluster of the truck, said spring having outwardly extended top and bottom tangs, one of said tangs having means integral therewith presenting a vertically disposed friction surface, said spring, Yasmanufactured and before application to said truck, having said tangs laterally converging, said tangs embracing said column member at opposite sides and being forcibly spread apart to accommodate said column member therebetween,

thus unwindingr the spring to place the lsame under tension to forcibly press the tangs vtoward each other and said friction surface against said column member.

GEORGE E. DA'IH.

No references cited. 

